NEWS RELEASE

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

400 MARYLAND AVENUE, SW, WASHINGTON 25, D.C.
TELEPHONES WORTH 2-4155 -WORTH 3-1110

FOR RELEASE : sumacsts.m.~a

January 21, 1962

Release No. 62-8

MERCURY-ATLAS 6 AT A GLANCE

MISSION -- Manned orbital flight to (1) evaluate

the performance of a man-spacecraft system; 2 Investigate
man's capabilities In the space environment; t 3 1 obtain the
pilot's opinions on the operational suitability of the
spacecraft and supporting systems for manned space flight.
LAUNCH DATE -- The flight currently Is scheduled
no earlier than January 24, 1962. On whatever day, the
laubch will be attempted between 7:30 a.m. and l2:jO p.m.
and may 'slip" on a day-to-day basis as required. Launch
timing will be planned to provide at least three hours of
daylight search time In the probable recovery areae.
FLIGHT DURATION -- Depending on literally thousands
of variables, the Mercury Operations DlPector (Manned Space-
craft Center Associate Director Walter C. Willlams) may elect
a one, two or three-orbit mission. That decision will be
made only minutes before launch and may be changed at any
time during the mission. Recovery after one full orbit is
planned for'about 500 miles east of Bermuda; after two orbita,
some 500 miles south of Bermuda; three orbits, about 8~x1
miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, Fla. Each orbit takes
about 90 minutes, carrying the craft between 100 and 1%
miles altitude, 32 degrees north and south of the equator.
If the mission ends after orbit one or two, the
astronaut will be moved to the Klndley Air Force Base
HIspIta in Bermuda for a 48-hour reat and debrleflng.
If the mission goes a full three orbits, he will be flown
t> Grand Turk Island (Bahamas) for a similar operation
before being returned to the mainland.
 PIMT -- Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., 40. A
lieutenant colonel in the United Staten Marine Corps,
Glenn haa been with NASA for three years on a detached
duty basis. Backup pllot for this flight is Astronaut
M. Scott Carpenter, 36. (See blographles).
SPACECRAFT -- Bell-shaped, the MA-6 craft --
listed as No. 13 in engineering document8 and named
"Friendship 7” by Astronaut Glenn -- stands 93 feet
high and measures 6 feet across the base. Spacecraft
weight at launch will be about 4,200 pounds; spacecraft
weight in orbit (after jettisoning of escape tower) --
3,000 pounds; on-the-water recovery weight -- 2,400 pounds.
Prime contractor for the spacecraft Is McDonnell Aircraft
Corp. of St, LOUIS, MO.
LAUNCH VEHICLE -- A modified Atlas D Is used to
launch orbital Mercury missions, reaching a speed of
17,500 miles per hour. At launch, booster and spacecraft
stacd 93 feet tall, Including a 16-foot tower above the
spacecraft. The tower contains a solid propellant rocket
hooked to an abort sensing system, Should trouble develop
on the launch pad or In the early boost phase of the mission,
the escape system will be triggered -- automatically or by
th? pilot OY from the ground -- to pull the spacecraft
away from the booster. The booster Is manufactured by the
Astronautics Division of General Dynamics Corp.
NETWORK -- The Mercury Tracking Network consists of
18 stations around the world, including two ships, one on
the equator in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa and
the other In the Indian Ocean. Some 500 technicians man
these stations, all of which are in radio or cable communl-
cation with the Mercury Control Center at the Cape via the
NASA Goddard Spacefllght Center at Greenbelt, Md.
RECOVERY -- More than 20 ships will be deployed in
the Atlantic alone to take care of prime an4 contingency
recovery areas. Recovery forces are under the command of
Rear Admiral John L. Chew, Commander of Destroyer Flotilla
Fc)ur . In addition, ships and rescue planes around the
world will go into actlon in the event of an emergency
landing. More than 15,000 men ~111 have a hand In the
recovery, search and rescue effort.

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 RESTG::SI3IL,ITIES -- ,?rqJect Mercury, the nation’s
first manned space flight ?esearch proJect, wag conceived
and is dlrec tc:! by the Piatlonal Aeronautics and Space
Admlnlstraticn, a civilian agency of the government
charged With ti-.e exploration of space for peaceful and
zclentlfic purposes. Technical project direction for
Mercury is supplied by NASA's Manned Spalzecraft Center,
directed by Robert R. Gllruth at Langley Field, Va., and
soon to move to Houston, Texas. The Department of Defense,
largely through the Air Force and Navy, provide3 vital
support for Mercury. DOD support Is directed by Major
General Leighton I. Davis, USAF, Commander of the Atlantic
Missile Range. In all, more than 30,000 persons will
have a part in this mlsslon, Including government and
Industry.
PROJECT COST -- Total ect Mercury coet through
orbital flight Is estimated 00 mllllon. About $160
million will have gone to the prime spacecraft contractor,
McDonnell and Its subcontractor3 and suppliers; $95 million
for the network operations; $85 million for boosters, ln-
cludlng Atlases, Redstone3 and Little Joes; $25 million
for recovery operations and roughly $35 million for support-
ing research in diverse areas.
. MISSION PILOT TASKS -- The MA-6 pilot will perform
many control tasks during flight to obtain maximum data
on spacecraft performance, ,hls own reactions to welght-
lessness and stress, and to study the characteristics of
the earth and star3 from his vantage point over 100 miles
above the earth's surface.
The Astronaut will participate actively during the
flight. This will Include the following tasks:
(1) Manage the operation of all spacecraft
systems, particularly the attitude control
system, electrical system, envlronmental
control system, and communications systems.
(2) Observe and correct any discrepancies In
system operation. Discrepancies will be '
correlated with telemetered observations re-
ceived at ground stations.
(3) Monitor critical events during launch, and
terminate the mission If necessary.
(4) Maintain a complete navl.gatlon log during
flight which will enable him to compute his
retro-fire tlme if ground communications should
fall. This onboard navigation will include
periscope ground sightings which Indicate
position over ground and altitude.
 (;~,r~ro,;;d communlc;ations to receive updated
e information, and receive detailed
detalled behavior of spacecraft systems as
determlncd from ground telemetry.
(6) Evaluate his physical condition to augment
the biomedical data which are telemetered to
the ground,
About eve?J 30 minutes, the pllot ~111 make
detalled -JoIce reports on spacecraft systems and
operations conditions. His own transmissions ~111 in-
clude critical Information as mode of control, precise
attitude, planned retro-“Ire time, control system fuel,
oxygen, and coolant.
MISSION PROFILE
POWEREDFLIGHT -- The manned Mercury spacecraft will
be launched atop an Atlas from Cape Canaveral following a
two-day split countdnxn. Technical conditions or weather
could, of course, delay the launch from minutes to days.
. According to the flight plan, the spacecraft will
be launched on a path along the Project Mercury World-wide
Tracking Range on a launch heading of about 72 degrees --
just north of east from Cape Canaver.al.
An internal programmer in the Atlas will guide the
vehicle from liftoff until staging occurs. All of the
Atlas liquid-propellant engines are ignited before lift-off.
At staging, about two minutes after lift-off, ttic
two booster engines will drop off and the sustainer and
vernier engines will continue to accelerate the vehicle.
Staging occurs at an altitude of about 40 miles and a
range of about 115 miles from the launch pad. l
During the first 23 minutes of flight, an electronic
brain, called the Abort Sensing and Implementation System
(ASIS) Is capable of sensing lmpcnding trouble In the
rocket and triggering the escape rocket. The astronaut
can also trigger the Mercury escape rocket to pull the
spacecraft a>lay from the Atlas.
About 20 seconds after staging, and assuming tile
flight is procet?ding as planned, the lb-foot escape tower
:lnrl rocket will be jettisoned. 1,anding systems will be
armed. The Mercury-Atlas vc!~lcJc 1,;:I? continue t0
accelerate toward tne orbit i ,pl-t,; ,x, point ,guI<Ied bg
ground command ,;ul(lance.
1-4

--__--. -- --
 Until orbital lnsertlon, the abort senelng system
will continue to watch for trouble. If slgn:flcant
deviation should occur, the system will actuate circuits
to release the spacecraft-to-Atlas clamp ring and fire
the posIgrade rockets on the base of the spacecraft.
About five minutes after lift-off, guidance ground
command will shut down the sustainer and vernier enginea.
As the engines shut down, the spacecraft-to-booster clamp
ring Is released automatically and poaigrade rockets are
fired to separate the craft from the Atlas.
ORBITAL INSERTION -- After a few seconds of
automatic damping - getting rid of any unusual motions -
the spacecraft will owing 180 degrees no that the blunt
face of the craft Is turned forward and upward 34 degrees
above the horizontal. From that polnt on during orbital
flight, the spacecraft can be controlled In proper
attitude automatically or manually by the pilot.
If all goes well, the Mercury spacecraft will be
Inserted Into orbit In the vicinity of Bermuda. By that
time the vehicle will be at an altitude of approximately
100 miles and traveling at a speed of about 17,500 miles
per hour. At engine cut-off{ the craft will have been
subjected to more than 73 “G’. Reentry "G" will also
reach 74.
A three-orbit flight will last approximately 4 3/4
hours; a two-orbit flight, 3& hours; one orbit,'1 3/4
hours. The Mercury craft will reach a peak altitude
(apogee) of about 150 statute miles off the West Coast
of Australia and a low point (perigee) of 100 miles, at
the Insertion point near Bermuda.
REENTRY -- After the desired number of orbits,
as the spacecraft approaches the West Coast of North
America, retro or braklng rockets will be fired to
Initiate reentry.
Shortly after the retrorockets are fired, the
exhausted rocket package will be jettisoned and the
spacecraft automatically will assume reentry attitude.
"Friendship 7" will begin to encounter more dense
atmosphere of the Earth approximately over the east
coast at an altitude of about 55 miles. At this point,
temperatures will start mounting on the spacecraft's
ablation heat shield.

l-5
 On a nominal mlaslon, peak reentry temperature
of about 3,000 degrees F. will occur at 25 miles altitude
while the spacecraft la moving at nearly 15,000 miles per
hour. All told, the craft will sustain temperature3 in
this neighborhood for about two minutes.
Almost coincident with the heat pulse la a dramatic
reduction In capsule speed. Between 55 miles and 12 miles
altitude - covering a distance of 760 miles - spacecraft
velocity should go from 17,500 miles per hour down to
270 miles per hour In a little over five minutes.
At about 21,000 feet, a six-foot diameter drogue
parachute will be opened to stabilize the craft. At
about 10,000 feet, a 63-foot main landing parachute ~111
unfurl from the neck of the craft.
On touchdown, the main chute will be jettisoned.
On-board electrical equipment will be shut down, and
location aides will be activated.
RECov-EFlY -- Several new recovery techniques will
be,trled operationally for the first time In MA-6. If
all's well, the astronaut, on leaving the craft via the
neck or the side hatch, should be greeted by two frogmen
who by that time will have cinched a new flotation belt
around the base of the craft. Thls.1~ to add to the
craft's seaworthiness,
Plans call for the frogmen to leap Into the water
with the quick-inflating belt from one of several recovery
helicopters staged off aircraft carriers In the three prime
recovery zdnes. As soon as they have secured the three-
foot-high belt, the astronaut will emerge, grab a "horse
-Collar" lift from a hovering helicopter and be whisked up
into the copter and to a nearby carrier.
Meanwhile, a smaller ship Is to go along side the
spacecraft and hoist it onto Its deck for transfer to
the carrier or direct delivery to the Cape.

1-6
 'I'% MA-d MERCURY SPACECRAFT

The MA-6 3oacecraft is similar to those used in previous

Mercury flights: About as big aa a phone booth, the Interior
looks much like the cockpit of a high-performance airplane -
only smaller.
Here are some of the major items confronting the pilot:
Instrument Panel - Instruments are located on a main instru-
ment panel, a left console, and a right console. The main panel
a left console, and a right console. The main panel is directly
in front of the pilot. Navigational and control instruments
are located in the left and center sections of the panel and
the periscope is located In the center. The right section of
the main panel is composed of environmental system gauges and
controls, electrical switches, indicators and communication
system controls.
Rate Stabilization and Control - Attitude of the Mercury
Spacecraft is changed b the release of short bursts of super-
heated steam (hydrogen geroxlde) from 18 thrust nozzles located
on the conical and cylindrical portions of the craft's surface.
Timing and force of these bursts are controlled by one of the
following: (1) Automatic Stabilization and Control System (ASCS)
or "Auto-Pilot"; (2) Rate Stabilization and Control System (RSCSI,
or "Rate Command" System (3) the Manual Proportional Control
System, a manual-mechanical system, and (4) the Fly-By-Wire (FBW),
a manual-electrical system.
The left console Includes sequencing telelights and a
warning panel, indicators and controls for the spacecraft's auto-
matic pilot (ASCS), environmental control and landing systems.
AltoGether, there are over 100 lights, fuses, switches and
miscellaneous controls and displays.
Cameras- A 1.6mm camera is installed to the left of the
astronautis head to photograph the instrument panel display from
launch through recovery. A pilot observer camera is mounted
In the main Instrument panel and wll also be operated from launch
through recovery.
Periscope - An earth periscope is located approximately
two feet in front of the pilot and will provide a 360.degree view
of the horizon. The pilot may manually adjust for "low" or
"high" magnification. On "low" he will have a view of the
Earth of aDout 1,900 miles in diameter - in "Ngh" the field
of view will be reduced to about 80 miles. Altitude can ne
measured within plus or minus 10 nautical miles. The Mercury-
Earth periscope will, in addition, serve as a navigational ad=

2-l
 i‘Llr,tJ;,aprii,r:,
i:::ccr;- -i’t1c
a3”:-3!ln~Lt
3 CouCi-. 13 con3truc ted
of a crushable none;rcomb material bonded to a fiberglass shell
and lined with rubber padding. Each astronaut has a flight
couch contoured to his specific shape. The couch is designed
to support the pllot~s body loads during all phases of the
flight and to protect him from acceleration forces of launch
and reentry.
Restraint System - The restraint system, which consists of
shoulder and a cnest strap, leg atraps, crotch strap, lap
belt and toe guards, is designed to keep the astronaut in
the couch during maximum deceleration.
Environmental Control System - The environmental control
system provides the MA-o spacecraft cabin and the astronaut
with a loo-percent oxygen environment to furnish breathing,
ventilation, and pressurization gas required during flight.
The system is completely automatic, but in the event the auto-
matic control fails, emergency controls can be used.
The system consists of two Individual control circuits
(the cabin circuit and the suit circuit), which will normally
operate for about 28 hours. Both systems are operated simul-
taneously. The suit circuit is Isolated from the cabin circuit
by the astronaut closing the face-plate on his helmet. Unless
there Ls a failure in the cabin circuit causing loss of pressure,
the pilot's pressure suit will not be inflated.
Aeromedical Information - Throughout the flight, the
physical well-being of the pilot will be monitored. The pilot's
respiration rate and depth, electrocardiogram and'body temper-
ature will be telemetered to flight surgeons on the ground.
Pilot Communications - The MA-6 astronaut may remain in
touch with the ground through the use of high-frequency and
ultr+'ligh-frequency radios, radar recovery beacona, and if
tne situation dictates, a command receiver or a telegraph code
key.
Main battery system - Three 3,000 wat;-hour batteries and
one 1,500 watt-hour battery are connected In parallel to pro-
vide power for the complete mission and about a 12 hour post-
landing period. A standby backup power system of 1,500 watt-
hour capacity is also provided. To further Insure reliable
operation of the pyrotechnic system, each device has a com-
pletely isolated power feed system.
Rct..o-fire Timer - There will be a timer in the MA-6
spacecraft with three major separate operational components,
(1) a standard aircraft elapsed time clock, (2) a "seconds
1
I
2-2

_._ _-
u resettable
retrograde
t;liilCr and time-delay
fire
the rglay closes
sequence.
and actuates
relay which will
‘Ilken the preset
the retrograde fire
inlti.at&-ihe
time has Dassed.
slinal, at
the same time sending a telemetered signal to the ground.
Altimeter - The Mercury barometer altimeter is a single-
revolution indicator with a range from sea level to 100,00()
feet. The dial face has reference marks at the drogue and
main pa:*achute deployment altitudes.
At the top right corner of the main panel are located
environmental displays, providing the pilot with lndlcatlons
of cabin pressure, temperature, humidity, and oxygen quantity
remaining.
Food, Water, and Waste Storage -"Friendship 7” will carry
about 3 COO calories of food - reef and mixed vegatables - and
about six pounds of water. The water will be In two flat
bottles, each fitted with a tube. The food Is in two tubes,
about the size of tooth paste tubes. In addition, there will
be some quick-energy sugar tablets,
Survival E ulpment - The survival package will consist ofa on
---.*ng raft,
man life kit, shark repellant dye markers,
first ,ai.d kit, distress signals, a signal rnirrhr, portable
radio, survival rations, matches, a whistle, and ten feet of
nylon cord.
A new lightweight, radar-reflective life raft is fabri-
cated of Mylar (for air retention) and nylon (for strength).
The three-pound, four-ounce raft features three water ballast
buckets for flotation stability and a deflatable boarding end
which may be reinflated by an oral inflation tube following
boarding. The raft, made of the same material used In the
Echo satellite balloon, is international orange.
Pilot's Map - A small cardboard diagram of the MA-6
flight path with recovery forces Indicated is contained within
a bag suspended beneath the periscope. On the reverse aide,
the pilot's view through the periscope from maximum altitude
is shown. Last minute information on cloud formations and
weather phenomena will be marked by Mercury weather experts.
Hatch - The MA-6 spacecraft is equipped with a hatch
aecurm explosive bolts, just as the pilot's canopy Is
secured in a high performance aircraft. The astronaut can
jettison the hatch by pushing a plunger button Inside the
spacecraft or by pulling a cable. The hatch may also be re-
moved by recovery teams.
2-3
 lCyLlncirlcal ?JETCKC~,ntent3 - Above the aotronaut’o cabln,
the cylindrical neck section contains the main and reserve para-
chute system.
Three parachutes are installed in the spacecraft. The
drogue chute has a six-foot-diameter, Conical, ribbon-type
canopy with approximately six-foot long ribbon suspension lines,
and a 30-foot-long riser made of dacron to minimize elasticity
effects during deployment of the drogue at an altitude of 21,000
feet. The drogue riser is permanently attached to the capsule
antenna by a three point suspension System terminating at the
antenna in three steel cables,whlch are insulated in areas ex-
posed to heat.
The drogue parachute is packed in a protective bag and
stowed in the drogue mortar tube on top of a light-weight
sabot. The sabot functions as a piston to eject the parachute
pack, when pressured from below by gasses generated by a
pyrotechnic charge.
The function of the drogue chute is to provide a backup
atabillzation device for the spacecraft in the event of failure
of the Reaction Control and Stabilization System. Additionally,
the drogue chute will serve to slow the capsule to approximately
250 feet per second at the 10,000 foot altitude of main para-
chute deployzcnt.
The reaerve chute is identical to the main chute. It is
deployed by a flat circular-type pilot chute.
Other components of the landing system include drogue
motor and cartridge, radar chaff, barostats, antenna fairing
e jet tor, sea marker packet, and two underwater charges - one
attached to and deployed by the antenna lanyard and the other
fixed to the spacecraft.
Following escape tower separation in flight, the 21,000
and 10,000 foot barostats are armed. No further action occura
until the capsule descent causes the 21,000 foot barostat to
close and activate power to the drogue mortar which eJecta
the drogue as well as the radar chaff - loosely packed under
the drogue chute - to provide a target for radar location.
Two seconds after the 10,000 foot barostat closes, power
is supplied to the antenna falrlng ejector - located above the
cylindrical neck section - to deploy the main landing barachute
and an underwater charge, which Is dropped to provide an
audible sound landing point indication. The ultra-high fre-
quency SARAH radio then begins transmitting. A can of sea-
marker dye Is deployed with the reserve chute and remalns
attached to the spacecraft by a lanyard.
2-4
 3n ianuin:I;, an L.T?ac; s*fi;itcn j~2tEiSon3 Ll:e ianuin; para-
rcchute and lnltlatcs tile remaining location and recovery aids.
This includes release of sea-marker dyC wltil the rc3crve para-
chute if it has not oreviouslv been deployed, Lr’iggering a
slty flashing light; extc-nsion of a l&foot whip
antenna and the initiation of the operation of a high-frequencL7
radio beacon,
If after landing, the spacecraft should spring a leak or
if the life support system should become fouled after landing,
the astronaut can escape through this upper neck section or
through the side hatch,
Impact Skirt - Following deployment of the main landing
parachute, the heat shield Ls released, extending the landlng-
Impact bag to form a pneumatic cushion primarily for impact
on land, it is also required for capsule stability after water
landings.
lr cushion is formed b:r a four-foot skirt made of
rubberized flberglas that connects the heat shield and the
rest of the capsule. After the main parachute is deployed, the
heat-shield is released from the capsule and the bag fills with
impact, air t rapped between the heat shield and the
capsule Is vented through holes in the skirt as well as portions
of the kapsule which are not completely air tight, thereby pro-
viding the desired cushioning effect.

2-5
 THE ATLAS LAUNCH VEHICLE
The launch vehicle to be used for the Mercury-Atlas b test is
an Atlas D model, one of several Atlases especially modified for
use in the Mercury flight test program. This vehicle develops
360,000 pounds of thrust and burns Rp-1, a kerosene-like fuel,
and liquid oxygen.
Principle differences in the Mercury-Atlas and the military
version of the vehicle include: (1) modification of the payload
adapter section to accommodate the Project Mercury spacecraft,
(2) structural strengthening of the upper neck of the Atlas to
provide for the Increase in aerodynamic stress imposed on the
Atlas when used for Mercury missions, and (3) Inclusion of an
automatic Abort Sensing and Implementation System (ASIS) designed
to sense deviations In the performance of the Atlas and trigger
the Mercury Escape System before an impending catastrophic failure.
The Atlas measures 65 feet from Its base to the Mercury
adapter section and is 10 feet in diameter at the tank section.
With adapter section, spacecraft and escape tower, the Mercury-
Atlas stands 93 feet tall.
The Atlas is constructed of thin-gage metal and maintains
structural rigidity through pressurization of Its fuel tanks.
For thls flight, the Atlas will have a heavier gage skin at the
forward end of the liquid oxygen tank, the same as that used In
other launches of Atlas space systems.
All five engines are Ignited at the time of launch - the
sustainer (60,000 ounds thrust), the two booster engines (150,000
pounds thrust each P which are outboard of the sustainer at the
base of the vehicle and two small vernier engines which are used
for minor course corrections during powered flight. INring the
first minute of flight, it consumes more fuel than a commercial
jet airliner during a transcontinental run.

3-l
r
ASTRONAUT PARTICIPATION
All seven of Project Mercury's team of astronauts will
participate In the MA-6 orbital mission, some as flight control-
lers from far-flung vantage points around the globe.
Aatronauts John H. Glenn, Jr., prime pilot, M. Scott
Carpenter, back-up pilot, and Alan B. Shepard, Jr., technical
advisor, will be at Cape Canaveral. Astronaut Walter M. Schlrra,
Jr. will be stationed at the Mercury site at Pt. Arguello,
California, and Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. will participate
from the Mercury tracking station In Muchea, Australia. Astronaut
Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom will monitor launch, lnsertlon, landing,
and recovery from Mercury's Bermuda station, while Donald K.
Slayton will perform spacecraft checkout prior to Insertion of
the.mlsslon pilot.

4-1
 ';IiE NET'rlGRK
'riorld-wide Plercury Tracking Stations, Including ships in the
Indian and Atlantic Oceans, will monitor the MA-6 flight. The
Space Computing Center of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Maryland, will make trajectory computations.
During the flight, Information will pour Into the Space
Computing Center from tracking and ground Instrumentation points
around the globe at the rate, in some cases, of more than 1,000
bits per second, Upon almost Instantaneous analysis, the ln-
formation will be relayed to the Cape for action.
In addition to proving man's capability for surviving In and
performing efficiently In space - and since only two other flights
have been made along the world-wide tracking network - the test
will further evaluate the capability of the network to perform
tracking, data-gathering, and flight control functions.
The Mercury network, because of the man factor, demands more
than any other tracking system. Mercury missions require ln-
stantaneous communication.
Tracking and telemetered data must be collected, processed,
and acted upon In as near "real" time as possible. The position
of the 'vehicle must be known continuously from the moment of
lift-off.
After Injection of the Mercury spacecraft Into orblt(
orbital elements must be computed and prediction of "look' ln-
formation passed to the next tracking site so thC station can
acquire the capsule.
Data on the numerous capsule systems must be sent back to
Earth and presented In near actual time to observers at various
stations, And during the recovery phase, Spacecr+ft. impact
location predictions will have to be continuously revised and
relayed to recovery forces.
An Industrial team headed by Western Electric Company recent-
ly turned over this $60 million global network to the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Other team members are Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc.;
the Bendix Corporation; Burns and Roe, Inc,; and International
Business Machines Corporation. At the same time, the Lincoln
Laboratory of Massachusetts Institute of Tecnnology also has
advised and assisted NASA on special technical problems relating
the network.
Concluding contract Involved extensive negotiations with
Federal agencies, prlvate Industry, and representatives of several
foreign countries In the establishment of tracking and ground
Instrumentation.
5-l
 The network consists of 18 stations. The system spans thr
contlnentg and three oceans, lnter+cqnnectctd by n global com-
munlcatlons network. It utlllzes land lines, undersea cables 7
and radlo clrcults, and special communications equipment ln-
stalled at commercial swltchlng stations In both the Eastern and
Western hemispheres.
The project includes bulldings, computer pr~~gt~armning, corn-
munlcatlons and electronic equipment, and related support
facilities required to direct, monitor, and provide contmzt
with the nation's orbiting Project Mercury astronaut.
Utogether, the Mercury system Involves approximately
60,OOO route miles of communications facllltles to assure an
Integrated network with world-wide capability for handling
satellite data, It comprises 14O,OOO actual circuit miles -
100,000 miles of teletype, 35,000 miles uf telephones, and over
5,000 miles of high-speed data circuits.
Sites linked across the Atlantic are: Cape Canaveral,
Grand Bahama Island, Grand Turk Island, Bermuda, Grand C&nary
Island, and a specially fitted ship In Mid-Atlantic.
Other stations In the contlnental United States are at Pt.
Arg\lello In Southern California; White Sands, New Mexico;
Corpus Chrlstl, Texas; and Eglln, Florida. One station Is
located on Kaual Island In Hawaii.
There are two radar picket ships. The Atlantic Ship Rose
Knot will be stationed on the equator near the West African-as
TheIndIan Ocean Ship Coastal Sentry will be located midway be-
tween Zanzibar and Muchea, Australia.
Stations at overseas sites Include one on the south side of
Grand Canary Island, 120 miles west of the African Coast; mns,
Nigeria, In a farming area about 700 rail miles Inland; Zanzibs;
an Island 12 miles off the African coast In the Indian Ocean;
two In Australia - one about 40 miles north In Perth, near
Muchea, and the other near Woomera; Canton Island, a small coral
atoll about halfway between Hawaii and AustrliliB;: one In Mexlcc
near Guaymas on the shore of the Gulf of MexLGu; and one In
Bermuda, an Independent, secondary control center.
Some 20 private and public communications agencies through-
out the world provided leased land lines and overseas radio and
cable facllltles.
Site facilities include equipment for acquiring the space-
craft; long range radars for automatic tracking; telemetry.equl.
ment for recelvlng data on the spacecraft and the astronaut; co:
mand control equipment for controlling the manned vehicle from
the ground, If necessary, and voice channels for ground-to-air
c0mmunlcatlons. The extenslve ground communications system
intercorulects all stations through Goddard and the Mercury Cont
at Cape Canaveral.

k wlc
5-2

------
 Sites equlpped with tracking radara nave dlgltal data con-
version and processing equipment for preparing and trsnomittlng
information to the computing system without manual processing,
marking a signlflcant achievement - global handllng of data on a
real-time basis.
One function of the computer is to transmit Information re-
garding the spacecraft's position to Mercury Control Center at
the Cape, where It Is displayed on the world map in the Opera-
tions Room. The computer also originates acquisition lnf'orma-
tlon which Is automatically sent to the range stations. .

During every major Mercury launch, the attention of some

15 NASA flight controllers is focused on dozens of consoles and
wall displays In the Mercury Control Center Operations Room.
This room Is the control point for all Information that will
flow through the world-wide tracking and communications system.
In this room NASA Flight Controllers make all vital decisions
required, and Issue or delegate all commands.
In the fifty-foot square room, about 100 typea of informa-
tion register at various times on the indicators of the consoles
and the high range-status map. Of these 1GO quantities, 10 show
biomedical condition, approximately 30 relate to life support
faci.lltJes and about 60 give readings on spacecraft equipment.
This information flows In on high-speed data circuits from '
computers at the Goddard Center, on direct teletype circuits from
remote sites, and by booster and spacecraft telemetry relayed
over readlo and wire circuits.
Three kinds of data start pouring Into the computing system
as soon as the booster lifts half an Inch off the launch pad:
1. Radar data: Triggers the Cape Canaveral IBM 7090
which monitors the spacecraft's flight path and
predicts Its Impact point If the mission must be
aborted.
2. Guidance data: Radioed from the spacecraft to a
special purpose computer at the Cape.
3. Telemetry data: Reports check points, e.g., llft-
off, booster separation.
These data are transmitted from Cape Canaveral to Goddard
where IBM 7090ts compare the spacecraft trajectory to a pre-
determined flight path - and flash the results back to Canaveral.
This is a "real ttie" operation - that Is, the system receives,
moves It over 2,000 miles, analyzes, predicts and displays data
so fast that observers and controllers follow events as they hap-
pen.
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 CO~IUIJICATIO:JS I:JFORMATIOiJ
The system carries telephone, teletype and high-speed data
(1,000 bits per second) Information. It can accept a message
from a distant site and deliversit to the final destination -
regardless of location - In a little over one second,
Radio teletype faclllties use single sideband transmitters,
which are less susceptible to atmospheric Interference. All
circuits, frequencies and paths were selected only after a care-
ful study of data accumulated over 25 years by the National
Bureau of Standards on the various propagation qualltles of many
radio paths.
Submarine cables to London (via New York), to Hawaii (via
San Francisco), and to Austrxlla- (via Vancouver, B.C.) are
Included in the Mercury commull~catlons network.
The Mercury Voice Network has atwofold mission:
1. Provide Mercury Control Center (MCC) with "real time"
Information from world-wide tracking stations hav:nS
the orbiting Mercury spacecraft in vie-~.
Provide a rapid means for dealing with emergency
. 2. situations between MCC and range stations during a
mission.
The network Is essentially a private line telephone sys$em
radiating from GSFC to MCC and the project's world sites.
These lines are used during an orbit mission to exchange
verbal Information more rapidly than can be done by teletype.
Conversations are recorded both at Goddard and Mercury Control
Center for subsequent playback. When not used for orbit exercise
the circuits are utilized for normal communications operations.

6-l

i
I j
 ASTRONAUT TRAINING PROGRAMSUMMARY
Here are some of the general training actlvltlee that
the Project Mercury astronauta have undergone alnce May, 1959.
1. Systems and vehicle famlllarlzatlon - The seven
aetronauts were given lectures In the vehicle systems by NASA
and aeveral of the contracting cornpanlee. NASA Langley
Research Center gave them a 50-hour couree'ln astronautica.
McDonnell Aircraft Corp. engineera talked to the aetronauts on
Mercury subeysteme, Lectures were given to the aetronauta by
Dr. William K. Douglas on aeromedlcal problems of space flight,
At the Navy centrifuge In Johnsvllle, Pa., the astronauts
flew the Mercury acceleration profiles, At several Air Force
baae8 they flew brief zero-gravity flight pathe. Checkouts
of the Mercury environmental aystem and the prcaaurs suit were
accomplished at the Navy Air Crew Equipment Laboratory In
Philadelphia. At the Naval Medical Reeearch Institute they
became familiar with the phyalologlcal effecta of high CO2
content In the environment, The Army Balllatla Mleelle
Dlvlaion and lta aeeoclated contraatora lndoatrlnated them on
the Redstone. The Air Force Space System8 Division and Its
associated aontraatore told the astronauts about the Atlao
launah vehicle.
2: Star reaoRnltlon - Eaoh aatronaut periodically
reaelved aonaentrated personal lnstruatlon on the elemsnto of
celestial navigation and on star reaognltlon at ,tha Morshoad
Planetarium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, A trainer
slmulatlng the celetrtwvlew through a spaaearaft window
permitted astronaut practice In correcting yaw drift,
3. Desert Survival - A 54 day course In desert survival
training was carried out at the USAF Training CommandSurvlvrl
School at Stead Air Force Base, Nevada, The course aonelated
of aurvlval techniquea through lectures, demonstratlona, and
application In a representative desert environment. The
Mercury survival kit was alao evaluated during this period,
4. Egress traInI% - TXlrlng March and April, 1960,
open-water normal egress training was conducted In the Gulf
of Mexico off Pensacola, Florida. Each astronaut made at
leaat two egresses through the upper hatch (up to lo-foot
swells were experienced). Water survival training wae ala0
accomplished in August, 1960 and December, 1961 at Langley,
Each of the astronauts made underwater egreaaes, some of
which were made In the Mercury pressure suit.

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 5. Specla1t.J assignmcnLz - The astxnauts contributed
to the FIercun development program by working directly with
Manned Spacecraft Center ,enilneers and by attending NASA-
McDonnell coordination meetings and booster panel meetings in “3,
their specialty areas. Astronaut specialty area3 are:

Carpenter - Communications equipment and procedures,

periscope operation, navigational aids and ,
procedures.
Cooper - Redstone booster, trajectory aerodynamics,
countdown, and flight procedures, emergency
egress and rescue.
Glenn - Cockpit layout,Instrumentatlon, controls for
spacecraft and simulation.
Grlssom - Reaction control system, hand controller,
autopilot and horizon sc,anr(?rs.
Schlrra - EnvIronmental control systems, pilot support
and restraint, pressure suit, aeromedlcal
monitoring.
- Recovery oy3tem3, parachutes, rccovcrJ aids,
. Shepard recovery procedures and range network.
Slayton - Atlas booster and escape ,?yatzil ~:?si:~c!l:l:;
Atlas configuration; trajectory,
aerodynamics, countdown, and flight procedures.

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 MERCURY LAUNCH CHRONOLOGY
Two types of Mercury spacecraft have been used In the
flight test program. First series of shots used full-scale
“boilerplate” models of the capsule to check out booster-
spacecraft integration and the escape system. Second phase of
the development firing program used Mercury capsules built to
production standards.
This Is the chronology of test firings:
September 9, 1959: Big Joe. NASA-produced research and
development capsule, launched on an Atlas from Cape Canaveral --
test validation of the Mercury concept. Capsule, survived high
heat and airload and was successfully recovered.
October 4, 1959: Little Joe 1. Fired at NASA’s Wallops
Station, Virginia, to check matching of booster and spacecraft.
Eight solid-propellant rockets producing 250,000 lbs. of thrust
drove the vehicle.
November 4, 1959: Little Joe 2. Also fired from Wallops
Station, was an evaluation of the low-altitude abort conditions.

Little Joe 3. Fired at Wallops Station

h-altitude performance of the escape system. Rhesus
monkey Sam was used as test subject.
January 21, 1360: Little Joe 4. Fired at Wallops
Station to evaluate the escape system under high airloads, using
Rhesus monkey Miss Sam as a test subject.
May 9, 1960: Beach Abort Test. McDonnell Is first
production capsule and its escape rocket system were fired in
an off-the-pad abort escape rocket system, (Capsule 1).
July 29, 1960: Mercury-Atlas 1. This was the first Atlas-
boosted flight, and was aimed at qualifying the capsule under
maximum airloads and afterbody heating rate during reentry
conditions. The capsule contained no escape systems and no
test subject. Shot was unsuccessful because of booster
system malfunctlon,(Capsule 4)
November 8, 1960: Little Joe 5. This was another In the
Little Jo-e series from Wallops Station. Purpose of the shot
was to check the production capsule in an abort simulating the
mOSt severe Little Joe bocster and the shot was unsuccessful-
(Capsule 3)
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 November 21, 1960: Mercury-Redstone 1. This was the
first unmanned Redstone-boosted flight, but premature engine
cutoff actl,Jated the emergency escape system when the booster
was only about one inch off the pad. The booster settled back
on the pad and was damaged zllghtly. The capsule was recovered
for re-use. (Capsule 2)
December 19, 1960: Mercury-Redstone 1A. This shot was a
repeat of the November 21 attempt and was completely successful.
Capsule reached a peak altitude of 135 statute miles, covered a
horizontal distance of 236 statute miles and was recovered
successfully. (Capsule 2)
January 31, 1961: Mercury-Redstone 2. This was the
Mercury-Redstone shot which carried Ham, the 37-lb. chimpanzee.
The capsule reached 155 statute miles altitude, landed 420
statute miles downrange, and was recovered. During the landing
phase, the parachuting capsule was drifting as It struck the
water. Impact of the angle blow slammed the suspended heat
shield agalnst a bundle of potted wires, which drove a bolt
through the pressure bulkhead, causing the capsule to leak. Ham
was rescued befcre the capsule had taken on too much water.
(Capsule 5)
‘February 21? :g6;: Mercury-Atlas 2. This Atlas-boosted
capsule shot was to check maximum heating and its effect during
the worst re-entry design conditions.. Peak altitude was 108
statute miles; re-entry angle was higher than planned and the
heating was ccrrespondingly worse than anticipated. It landed
1425 statute miles dcwnran7e. Maximum speed was about 13,000
mph. Shot was successful. 4 Capsule 6)
March 18, 1961: Little Joe 5A. This was a repeat of the
unsuccessful .Lltt?e Joe 5; It was fired at Wallops Station and
was only marginally successful (Capsule 14)
April 25; 1961: Mercury-Atlas 3. This was an Atlas-
boosted shot attempting to orbit the capsule with a “mechanical
astronaut” aboard. But 40 sec. after launching the booster
was destroyed by radio command given by the range safety
officer. The capsule was ret overed and will be fired again,
(Capsule 8)
April 26, igsl: Littie ;sc 5B. This was the third
attempt to check the escape system under worst conditions,
using- a Little Joe booster TIEed from Wallops Station.
Capsule reached 4C,OOO ft., and this time the shot was a com-
plete :;uc,7css- (Capsule 14)
6-2

_-- i

-.__ ._,.,._- ,I .~.. .=-_.-.-. -.- _ll-l_----- --.--l__ --..--_

 May 5, 1961: MercurJr-Acdstone 3. This Redstone-boosted
shot carried Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. on a ballistic
flight path reaching a peak altitude of 1.16 statute mi. and a
downrange distance of 302 statue ml. Flight was successful.
(Capsule 7)
July 21, 1961: Mercury-Redstone 4. This successful flLg
carried Astronaut Vlrgll I. 'GUS" Grlssom to an altitude of 11s
statute miles and 303 miles downrange. The capsule sank desp?-$
helicopter recovery efforts. (Capsule 11)
September 13, 1961: Mercury-Atlas 4. This successful
flight saw the spacecraft attain orbit for the first time. The
craft carried a 'crewman simulator' designed to use oxygen and-
put molsture into the cabin at about the same rate as a man.
Craft was recovered as planned about 160 miles east of Bermuda
after one orbit. (Capsule 8)
November 29, 1961: Mercury-Atlas 5. The flight success-
fully carried the chimpanzee Enos through two orbits to a
smooth landing. The craft was recovered about 260 miles
south of Bermuda. (Capsule 9)

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